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Site Organization

If you are new to Hot Boat Database, you will need to know a bit about how the site is organized to get the most out of the site. We use several based "data types" to keep everything organized- for example, a "Boat" is a distinct data type, as is a "Manufacturer" or a "Person". Most data types link to other datatypes- this is what creates the web of information on the site, and allows us to draw conclusions about related boats, people, molds, etc. Each instance of a data type is called a "node". Each nodecontains of number of "fields", which are individual bits of information. The basic data types are as follows:

Boat

The basic data type of the site. Each node is meant to represent a single hull, although that hull may change names or numbers through time. Series of boats with the same name (for example, Panic Mouse I, Panic Mouse II, Panic Mouse III, etc.) should have a different node for each hull. Boat nodes can be quite complex, but the most important bit of information is the Hull field, which links to a single Model. Boats can be quite complex, as they can also link to multiple Person nodes and Class nodes.

Manufacturer

There have been many different manufacturers of boats, and each one is represented by a Manufacturer node. The complication with Manufacturers is that often many were essentially one-man operations. In this case, you should create both a Manufacturer node (the name of the manufacturer may be the name of the person) as well as a Person node, and set that Person as "worked for" the manufacturer.

Model

The Model node may be the most confusing node, but the idea is simple. Manufacturers built a limited number of models of boats, and this node represents the model. You should add information to the Model node if it applies to all boats of a certain type, and not a specific boat. In general, Models should follow molds- if a new mold was made that was based on an older mold but with significant or noteworthy changes, you should create a different Model node.

Person

The Person node represents somebody who worked in, around, under, over, or near boats. Many other nodes link to people; for example, boats have Drivers and Builders, while Manufacturers have Notable Employees and Organizations have Founders.

Organization

There have been many organizations involved in the hot boat hobby over time, and each one is represented by an Organization node. Sometimes organizations turn into other organizations, these should have a new node for both iterations.

Class

Each organization sanctions a number of classes, which are represented as Class nodes. Each Class node's title should be prefixed with the Organization's acronym, as often there is overlap, and often organizations have similar classes. For instance, The NJBA, IHBA, NDBA, and LODBRA (and more) all have a Top Fuel Hydro class, so we have to have multiple Top Fuel Hydro class nodes.

Record

A Record node represents a single record, which is set in a particular class in a particular organization. The record may be for anything appropriate, including fastest MPH or quickest elapsed time. Records have a date set, and a date ended- which is the date when the record was broken.